Josh Eberly is hoping it becomes a signature move. If he keeps turning in results like the one he put together Monday during the 34th annual Bolder Boulder, Eberly's mid-race hat flip just might become all the rage.

When Eberly found his early lead in the citizen's race being challenged about midway through the 10-kilometer course, he figured a change of perspective was in order. In that spirit, Eberly abruptly flipped his baseball cap around.

Forget the slight aerodynamic lift Eberly may have received by resetting the bill of his cap behind his head. The 31-year old from Gunnison was aiming for improved focus, and the sudden garment adjustment did the trick. Behind an impressive late push, Eberly claimed his second championship in the men's citizen race, posting a winning time of 31 minutes, 7.42 seconds.

Eberly, who outpaced runner-up Curtis Begley by nearly 10 full seconds, became the fifth runner to win multiple titles in the men's citizen race at the Bolder Boulder. Among that exclusive club, Eberly has endured the longest duration between wins. His previous first-place finish occurred in 2004.

"I'm trying to trademark the hat turn mid-race," Eberly said. "That means I'm serious and I'm starting to race now. I went out at about two and a half miles and I thought I could pull away. But I kept hearing someone getting closer and closer to me. I knew it was time to tighten the screws a little bit."

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Eberly, who finished 44th at the Olympic marathon trials early this year, watched his solid early lead dwindle as Begley made a mid-race charge. Whatever mental kick-start Eberly received from his hat trick, it kept Begley at bay. Eberly quickly recaptured his 5-second advantage, and he steadily padded that lead down the stretch.

"This is a big, professional race and they put on such a good job," said Eberly, who posted a per-mile pace of 5:01. "The weather is always perfect. I was born and raised in Colorado and I grew up in Arvada just 15 miles away. So it's always good to come back and do well."

Begley, 24, finished 10th last year and appeared to be making a strong bid to claiming his first Bolder Boulder title. Unfortunately for Begley, the push he made in order to close the gap with Eberly left him with precious little in reserve for the final kick.

"I wanted to be in the mix, and that was it," said Begley, a Toronto native who moved to Boulder about a year and a half ago. "We were both dying the last mile and we both died equally. I stayed with him for the first five miles. That last mile just did me in."

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